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Important to move on: Dhoni

Indian skipper welcomes change in format and new members of support staff

Moving on from a heartbreak is never an easy task. But holding on to it will only harm the future. Team India understands that, and so, instead of mourning the 1-3 loss in the Test series, they have shifted their focus on the ODI series against England, starting August 25 in Bristol.

On the eve of the first ODI, captain, MS Dhoni said the boys have taken the lessons from the Test series and are now prepared for the shorter format.

“It hasn’t been really easy but relatively easy,” Dhoni said when asked about his job to get the team in the right spirit after the Tests. “Although these boys are hurt by the losses, they also realize the importance of leaving the tough series behind them and looking forward while learning from it. I am happy with the players’ response in the last few days. We have got on with the job at hand and are looking forward to the ODIs.”

Dhoni said the change in format will help them refocus. “The change in format makes a huge difference. In Tests there is a pressure of survival on you and you get criticized when you get out playing an attacking shot. We now move to a format where after getting in, you have to play your shots and express yourself. With the new ODI rules, there is also a change in how the cricket is played in the ODIs,” the Indian captain said.

Talking about change, Dhoni also spoke about the new look that the team’s support staff bears. While sympathizing with Joe Dawes and Trevor Penney, who have been given a break for this series, Dhoni also stressed the need to welcome the new members, Bharat Arun (bowling coach), R Sridhar (fielding coach) and Sanjay Bangar (assistant coach).

“It is a bit tough on Trevor (Penney) and Joey (Dawes). It’s the fielders who drop the catches and the fielding coach has to miss the series,” Dhoni said. “At the same time we have to welcome the new guys in the family and give them enough time to get used to how things operate in the team and also encourage them to give their own inputs.”

Another new recruit in Team India is Ravi Shastri, who has joined the team as the Cricket Director. Dhoni said Shastri’s role is to observe and oversee the workings of the team and that coach, Duncan Fletcher is still the “boss” of the team.

“Ravi is here to overlook the operations and give his inputs from the outside. It is good to have him because he is a very proud Indian cricketer and a very positive person. He believes in putting up a fight and backing your instincts 100 per cent. He also speaks the same language (Hindi) as the boys and can interact well with them. It is the same with the other coaches who have joined in. So, it is good to have them.

“Duncan will lead us into the World Cup. Also, I don’t know how it seems from the outside but Duncan is still the boss. Yes, we have some new members in the support staff but the operations of the team remain the same,” Dhoni said.

With the 2015 World Cup in sight, Dhoni said the team has already started to plan for the defence of their World Champions title and that the main challenge for them will be to manage the fitness of their best players.

“We don’t have an easy schedule. We have to plan. The only problem is you don’t want to look too ahead because we have to see what kind of niggles any player has got. We don’t have many changes in the squads for Tests, ODIs and T20Is. We have to manage the resources well because we want to feature the best 15 in the World Cup.”

Post mortems of the Test defeat have been done. Every nook and corner, every nut and bolt of the humiliating defeat in whites have been analysed at length that has called for new measures. A new team director, a new support staff and some new faces in the Indian team look for positivity ahead of the first ODI against England in Bristol. If the warm-up game against Middlesex leading up to the first ODI is to be taken into consideration, India could try and take some confidence from it. A seventy for Virat Kohli could keep the man himself in good stead who has been completely out of sorts in the Test series. Apart from Kohli, Ambati Rayudu got a seventy as well and has made a case for himself for a place in the playing eleven. Leg-spinner Karn Sharma’s 3-wicket haul opens up more selection dilemmas for India and whether the spinner will make his ODI debut will be worth a watch. There has been an influx of new faces with refined energy in the team for the ODIs; will India give them a chance and if given a chance will they make those opportunities count? Can Suresh Raina’s exuberance on the field lift up energies within the team and will Rohit Sharma showcase the form he did in the ICC Champions Trophy last year as an opener? We are in for an interesting 10 days of 50-over cricket. There is always a sense that this is one format that the team feels more confident playing and India would be looking to start off their ODI campaign on a positive note. Baggage aside with a refreshed outlook, India look towards this ODI series for a revival of sorts. England

Test series in the bag, England sure have their eyes set on the ODI series now. It is an Indian side low on confidence that they are up against and expect England to deliver severe blows come Monday. England don’t seem to have any major issues with regards to team combinations and form. Like India, even England have a few new faces in the team, the most notable being Alex Hales. His T20 exploits are well known and England would be itching to give him a chance against a not-so-strong Indian bowling line-up. England will be missing the services of Stuart Broad and James Anderson as expected will lead the pace attack. The crux of the England batting remains the same with the likes of captain Alastair Cook, Ian Bell, Gary Ballance and Joe Root. An exciting inclusion in the England side is that of Eoin Morgan who adds a lot of meat to the middle order. Morgan’s innovations with the bat and cricketing prowess in the shorter formats are well known and he would be one of the players to watch out for. Who gets a nod between Moeen Ali and James Tredwell for the spinner’s slot is worth a thought as well. Tredwell maybe a specialist spinner, but memories of the Test series would be fresh in the English minds where Ali tormented the Indian batsmen. Moreover Ali is touted to be a better bat than Trewdwell. Also Steven Finn could make for an interesting choice in the pace attack. The first ODI will set the tone for the rest of the series, as both teams look for a positive start in the five-match ODI series.

Key Players

India

He may have gone through a rough patch in the Test series but expect a confident Virat Kohli while facing the white ball. He is a completely different player when it comes to batting in ODIs. Kohli’s ODI average in the last 12 months is close to 66 along with four centuries to his name. Those are outstanding numbers and Kohli’s form is crucial to India’s form in the ODI series. He looked in good touch against Middlesex in the warm-up game scoring a brisk 71. That sweet sound off his bat would have been his favorite music he would have heard on the tour off late. He would want to add that tune to his playlist for the rest of the tour.

England

With conditions expected to be overcast, one man would be itching to get the ball in his hands – James Anderson. After making a mockery of the Indian batting in the Test series, expect Anderson to transform all his form in the Test matches in ODIs. India have been found wanting against Anderson’s pace and bounce and have failed to cope up with his ability to swing the ball both ways. In Stuart Broad’s absence Anderson needs to take over the mantle of leading a young pace attack and give those early breakthroughs. India’s biggest threat and captain Cook’s go-to bowler; expect Anderson to come all guns blazing on Monday.